Pressing machine



Aug. 5, 1958 P. PATANIA 2,845,726

PRESSING MACHINE Filed Sept. 16, 1957 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 N V EN TOR. /l/L/P PATAlV/A I 1 BY Aug. 5, 1958 P. PATANIA PRESSING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 16, 1957 FIG. 5

United States Patent PRESSING MACHINE Philip Patania, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application September 16, 1957, Serial No. 684,134

Claims. (Cl. 38--36) This invention relates to pressing machines for pressing the armhole portions of garments, particularly of jackets and coats.

The conventional machine for this purpose contains an upper movable pressing head with suitable steam connections, and a lower garment-supporting member or buck supported from below by a post or other structure joined to the underside of the buck and extending upwardly froma basethe arrangement being such that when the garment is operatively positioned, with the armhole portion turned inside out, on the buck in preparation for a pressing operation, the said post or other supporting structure constitutes an obstruction preventing the rearward movement of the garment therepast. Accordingly, only a fragmentary section of the armhole portion can thus be held between the buck and the pressing head, wherefor it is necessary to perform the pressing opera tion in a series of successive stepsthe garment being rotatably moved to different successive positions on the buck for a suflicient number of successive pressing steps until all sections have been pressed. In other words, it is impossible with such conventional structures to obtain a complete pressing of the armhole portion with one or two operations. The result is generally an unsatisfactorily pressed sleeve-hole portion, frequently with impressed areas separating the pressed areas-thereby necessitating further pressing operations to correct the unsatisfactory condition of the garment.

It is an object of this invention to provide a pressing machine having none of these disadvantages, yet which will be capable of performing a substantially complete pressing of the armhole portion with one or two pressing operations. With respect to this aspect of my invention, it is a further object to provide a novel form of buck and coacting pressing head through the use of which it is unnecessary to rotate the garment on the buck andperform the relatively large number of successive pressing operations along adjacent sections of the sleeve portion as is necessary with conventional devices.

It is also my objective to provide a pressing apparatus of the aforesaid category by which the sleeve-hole portion of a jacket can be evenly pressed substantially along the entire juncture of the sleeve with the body portion of the jacket, and whereby said sleeve will be shaped into relatively flat configuration without unsightly bulges, and disposed in close relation to said body portion.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of relatively simple construction which is adapted to perform the above-stated functions, and which is adapted for coactive use with certain readily available elements that are employed in conventional machines, such as the pivotal support for the pressing head, and steam and vacuum line connections.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawings and the description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a form of pressing broken away and shown in section, of 'the buck and pressing head operatively engaging therebetween a garment during a pressing operation.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the pressing head.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section taken substantially along line 5-5 of Figure 3.

As is evident from the drawings, the buck of my invention is distinguishable from conventional bucks in that it is inverted, it being suspended from an overhanging support joined to the top of the buck, rather than supported from the bottom as in conventional structures. The arrangement is such, as will more clearly hereinafterappear, that the marginal periphery of the buck is free and completely unobstructed, so that it is possible to place the entire armhole portion of a garment over the buck, where-by almost all of said portion can be pressed when the pressing head is operatively brought into coactive relation with the buck. At most, only one lateral shifting may be required to effect a complete pressing operation.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated, the buck 10 is operatively supported by the overhanging arm 11, said arm consisting of a horizontal portion 12 joined at the forward end to the downwardly extending portion 13, the opposite end of portion 12 being connected to the post 14 extending downwardly and supported by the base 15 of the table 16. The supporting extension 13 of arm 11 is joined to the upper portion of buck 10 at a region spaced inwardly from the periphery 17 thereof, whereby the rear section 17a of said periphery, the lateral sections 17b and thereof and the forward section 17d thereof together constitute a completely unobstructed marginal portion adapted to receive thereover the armhole portion of a garment, as is evident from Figure 2.

In the particular form illustrated, the said supporting extension 13 is connected to the top wall 18 of the casing 19 constituting the body of the buck. The horizontal portion 12 and extension 13 of the supporting arm 11 are hollow, the interior portion 20 thereof communicating between the internal chamber 21 of casing 18 and the internal chamber of the hollow cylindrical member 22 which is operatively connected, in a manner well known'to those skilled in the art, with a vacuum exhaust system. The interior portion 21 of the buck casing also contains therein conventional steam lines 23a and 23b, these lines extending through the said interior portion 20 of arm 11 into said cylindrical member 22 and out wardly therefrom to a source of steam supply, the details of said steam lines and steam supply not being shown since they are well known to those skilled in the art, and need not be described herein for an understanding of this invention. The said upper wall 18 of the buck contains the perforations 24, the casing being covered by fabric 25 of a type generally employed over pressing bucks.

In opposing relation to buck 10 is the pressing head 26, this being operatively supported, in a Well-known manner, to the structure 27 pivotally mounted at 29 to framework 28, whereby the said pressing head 26 may be operatively moved between its retracted inoperative position shownin Figure 1 and its operative position- Patented Aug. 5, 1958 erators grasping the handle 30 and applying lifting or downward pressing force.

The said pressing head 26 contains a recessed portion 31, extending forwardly from the rear edge 32 of. the headthe said recessed portion being defined by the lateral walls 33 and 34 and the forward terminal wall at 35. The proportions of said recessed portion 31 are sufficient to clear the said horizontal portion 12 and: the downwardly extending portion 13 of said supporting arm 11, so that when the pressing head 26 is in its lowered operative position, the rear wings 36 and 37 of the pressing head .will be directly over and engageable with the corresponding portions 38 and 39 of the buck laterally flanking the said supporting extension 13, the forward portion 40 of the pressing head being in engagement with the corresponding forward portion 41 of the buck. It is thus apparent that the only portion of the pressing head that is not adapted for coactive engagement with the buck or a garment operatively positioned thereover, is the relatively narrow recessed portion 31.

The said pressing head 26 comprises a hollow casing 42 the lower wall 43 of which contains the perforations 44, the interior of said casing being operatively connected to steam lines 45a and 45b, in known manner. The casing is covered with fabric 46, similar to that employed on conventional pressing heads.

In operatively employing this apparatus for pressing the armhole portions of a jacket 47, each armhole portion is turned inside out, and applied over the buck in the manner illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The armhole portion illustrated, generally designated 48, comprises the juncture of the body portion 49 and sleeve 50, the rear marginal shoulder section of said armhole portion being designated by the reference numeral 48a, the lateral marginal sections by the reference numeral 48b and 48c, and the forward marginal section by the reference numeral 48d. In operatively positioning the garment, the inverted sleeve is mounted over the forward either a portion of the buck and the garment slidably movedrearwardly until it is brought to the position shown in Figure 2, the rear marginal section 48a of the armhole portion 48 being brought over the rear peripheral portion 170: of the buck, as illustrated. The arrangement is hence such, in the position of the garment illustrated in Figure 2, that the marginal sections 48a, 48b and 48d of the armhole portion are disposed on top of the upper surface of the buck, the entire armhole portion 48 surrounding the supporting extension 13 of arm 11.

With the garment in this position, the pressing head 26 is lowered into its operative position as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, whereby the armholes said marginal sections 48b and 48d, and all but the rearmost portion of section 48a underlying member 11, are compressed between the pressing head and the buck. At this point both the pressure of the pressing head and the action of the steam and vacuum components coact, in known manner, to effect the pressing operation of said engaged marginal sections of the armhole portion. Upon a raising of the pressing head, the said sections 48b and 48d, and a portion of rear section 48a, will have been completely pressed by the above described single-pressing operation, and the adjacent portions of the sleeve and body portions (such as at the region A in Figure 3) will be in close relation. To press the lateral marginal section 480 of armhole portion 43, as Well as that portion of rear section 480! which had previously been below the arm 11, the entire garment is shifted somewhat laterally, so that marginal section 480 is now disposed over lateral section 38 of the buck. When the pressing operation, in the manner aforesaid, is again performed, the pressing of substantially the entire armhole portion will have been completed.

It is thus apparent that, because of the overhanging supporting arm 11, which leaves the entire periphery 17 of the buck free and unobstructed, and because of the coactive pressing head 26 adapted to clear said overhanging supporting arm 11, substantially the entire armhole portion of a jacket or coat can be supported and pressed, thereby eliminating the need for repeated reposi tioning of the garment by a large number of successive rotational movements, as is required with conventional structures. Not only does this apparatus thus produce a cleaner, flatter and more even pressing effect, but it obviously considerably reduces the pressing time. The result is thus a more eflfectively and attractively pressed garment obtained with a considerable economy of time, effort and labor expense.

In the above description, the invention has been disclosed merely by way of example and in preferred manner; but obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or manner of practicing same, except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a pressing machine, a buck member for supporting on the upper surface thereof the garment to be pressed, a post, an arm member supported thereby and disposed above said buck member, said arm having a buck supporting portion attached to the top of said buck member, a movable pressing head member coactive with the top of said buck member and being movable between an inoperative retracted position and an operative position in overlying relation to said buck member, said pressing head member having a recessed portion proportioned to clear said arm member when said head member is in its path of swing between said retracted and operative positions.

2. In a pressing machine, a buck member for supporting on the upper surface thereof the garment to be pressed, a post, an arm member supported thereby, said arm having a substantially horizontal portion spaced above said buck member and a downwardly extending portion attached to the top of said buck member, a movable pressing head member coactive with the top of said buck member and being movable between an inoperative retracted position and an operative position in overlying relation to said buck member, said pressing head member having a recessed portion proportioned to clear said arm member when said head member is in its path of swing between said retracted and operative positions.

3. In a pressing machine, a buck member for supporting on the upper surface thereof the garment to be pressed, a post, an arm member supported thereby, said arm having a substantially horizontal portion spaced above said buck member and a downwardly extending portion attached to the top of said buck member at a region spaced inwardly from the periphery thereof, whereby there are garment supporting surfaces on said buck member surrounding said downwardly extending portion, a movable pressing head member coactive with the top of said buck member and being movable between an inoperative retracted position and an operative position in overlying relation to said buck member, said pressing head member having a recessed portion and a pressing portion, said recessed portion being proportioned to clear said arm member when said head member is in its path of swing between said retracted and operative positions, said pressing portion being proportioned for overlying operative relation to said garment supporting surfaces except the surface directly below said arm member when said head member is in its said operative position.

4. In a pressing machine, a buck member for supporting on the upper surface thereof the garment to be pressed, a post, an arm member supported thereby, said arm having a substantially horizontal portion spaced above said buck member and a downwardly extending portion attached to the top of said buck member at a region spaced inwardly from the periphery thereof, whereby there are garment supporting surfaces on said buck member surrounding said downwardly extending portion, a movable pressing head member coactive with the top of said buck member and being movable between an inoperative retracted position and an operative position in overlying relation to said buck member, said pressing head member having a recessed portion and a pressing portion, said recessed portion being proportioned to clear said arm member when said head member is in its path of swing between said retracted and operative positions, said pressing portion being proportioned for overlying operative relation to said garment supporting surfaces except the surface directly below said arm member when said head member is in its said operative position, said region of attachment of said downwardly extending portion being spaced closer to the rear of said buck member than to the front thereof, said recessed portion of said pressing head member extending forwardly from the medial portion of the rear edge thereof, whereby two rear wings are formed laterally flanking said recessed portion, said wings being in laterally flanking relation to said terminal portion when said head member is in its said operative position.

5. In a pressing machine, a buck member for supporting the garment to be pressed, buck supporting means comprising a post and an arm member supported thereby, said buck member being suspended from said arm member and disposed therebelow, said buck member having along the entire perimeter thereof a continuous peripheral portion, said arm member being spaced inwardly from said peripheral portion, and a movable pressing head member coactive with the top of said buck member and being movable between an inoperative retracted position and an operative position in overlying relation to said buck member, said pressing head member having a recessed portion proportioned to clear said arm member when said head member is in its path of swing between said retracted and operative positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 771,979 Claire et al Oct. 20, 1934 2,529,899 Bayler Nov. 14, 1950 2,560,920 Berger July 17, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 476,537 Canada Aug. 28, 1951 

